Mixtape: A Songwriter Showcase with Emma Rose and Mike Finders – Longmont, CO

About this event

This is an intimate live show in downtown Longmont, Colorado presented by The Soundpost Sessions at The Times Collaborative featuring songwriters and host Monica Marie LaBonte all on stage swapping songs and stories in-the-round. Music is from 7-9:15pm, doors at 6:30. Join us for this very special ongoing musical series once a month!

Wednesday, December 18th at The Times Collaborative in Downtown Longmont.

$18 Advance (reserved seating)

$20 Day of Show

This event is sponsored by:

Longmont Creates

https://www.downtownlongmont.com/creative-district/longmont-creates

Longmont Creates is the non-profit arm of the Longmont Creative District. They support activities in the Longmont Creative District and the creatives throughout Longmont. Mixtape was the first recipient of their new Pop-Up Grant and we are so thankful!

The Artists:

Emma Rose (aka Sound of Honey) https://www.youtube.com/@soundofhoney4183

Emma Rose is a human who alchemizes feelings and experiences into songs. “Rose’s material veers toward indie-pop, in the vein of artists like Feist or even Big Thief — silky, heart-on-your-sleeve folk music with an underground creativity.”

Mike Finders www.fy5band.com

Mike Finders is a guitarist, band-leader, singer, educator, entertainer and award-winning songwriter. Originally from Iowa, Finders (rhymes with cinders) moved to Colorado in 2008 and formed the FY5 (Finders and Youngberg), a bluegrass/folk band who has received national airplay, toured the continent and showcased at international IBMA and Folk Alliance conferences for over 15 years. During the pandemic, as FY5 paused, Mike honed his electric chops and formed a blues band, Spidercat, began gigging on the front range, and released a recording of his songs for that band in summer of 2024 called, “Breaking Like a New Day.” This fall he’s also been performing solo at various spots, as well as sitting in on guitar with other front range songsters.

Mike has been the principal songwriter in all of his projects, and is able to pull from his catalog of original songs stretching back thirty years. He won the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, NC, twice. His songs draw from his love of country, bluegrass, and blues music, and draw comparisons to the balladry of John Hartford, John Denver, Chris Stapleton and Greg Brown. They seem to all be about rivers, trains, crying or bar fights. He sings with an honest voice, and deftly picks his guitar with an intention and ability to support the song and singing.

Winter of 24-25 has Mike in the studio with FY5, working on their 5th record, as well as writing and recording his very first solo project, featuring songs he wrote this summer on a residency in Paonia, CO.

He lives in Fort Collins, has a wife, four children and a cat, and everyone has recently moved out, except the wife and the cat. He can’t cook, but likes to do the dishes.

Monica Marie LaBonte monicamariemusic.com

From a wide-eyed tike delicately pressing the keys of her mother’s upright piano to a seasoned artist taking various stages across the country, Monica Marie LaBonte has always been guided by song.

With the sharp ability to craft tracks that speak to the fragility and wonder of life, the crystalline vocalist continues to attract listeners with her stirring blend of folk and country. At times, her lyrics come across as wise whisperings from a dear friend. At others, they hold all the vulnerability and transparency of raw confessions. A keen observer, LaBonte bears witness to life’s magic and heartache and artfully weaves the intricacies of the human condition into tunes that possess undeniable intimacy, grace and grit.

In her over 10-year career, the Colorado native has played hundreds of venues, including the historic Gold Hill Inn and Planet Bluegrass. Whether belting out ballads in a small listening room or playing to tens of thousands at an open-air venue, she brings a palpable authenticity to each gig.

Known for her stint in mystic-Americana band Monocle, her stellar musicianship and gift for commanding a stage shines just as bright in her solo work.

Armed with an acoustic and her truth, it’s clear LaBonte is pursuing her art for all the right reasons. Although her creative pursuits are guided by pure passion, LaBonte hasn’t escaped critical praise and success. A finalist In the 2018 Songwriter Showcase, at Rocky Mountain Folks Fest in Lyons, Colo., she continues to impress with her art.

A natural-born wordsmith — in the vein of Joni Mitchell and Alison Krauss — it’s easy to see why the songstress has packed coffeehouses, held her own on the lineup at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and been hailed as having “a voice I trust” by fellow musician Daniel Rodriguez (founding member of Elephant Revival).

Powerful, yet understated — poetic, yet real — LaBonte remains one to watch.